> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ultimator-wp-doc.templatetrip.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ultimator-wp-doc.templatetrip.com/theme-installation/update-theme.md). # Update Theme There are 3 ways to update the theme: First of all, do a backup on your local computer. There is a lot of tool and plugins available to help you to do this. Just find one with a good rating and get it set up now, not later: ALWAYS make a backup of your entire site before you update. Usually. the update installs within seconds and causes zero problems, but it's better to be safe than sorry. **How to upgrade?** The first thing to know is that if you have modified PHP, CSS, and JS files into the core theme, the update will overwrite what you did. The update will **NOT** affect your content such as your blog post, photos, videos, option theme settings, or WordPress settings. The update replaces the PHP, JavaScript and CSS files of the theme, not your database, and not the WordPress core files. **OPTION 1 - AUTOMATIC UPDATE:** 1. When the theme update is done, please go to WP-Admin > Appearance> Install Plugin and click "update" for every plugin that requires an update. 2. If for some reason you see some code on your front-end website after the theme update, make sure that all the required plugins are activated by going to WP-Admin > Plugins. **OPTION 2 - MANUAL UPDATE:** 1\. Redownload the theme files on Account (Account always have the latest version of the theme). To login to your account, then go to Downloads, and download the "Installable WordPress file Only" package. 2\. Go to Wp-Admin > Appearance > Themes and activate another theme such as Twenty Fifteen. 3\. Delete the Theme you want to update. (Yeah, you must delete the theme before re-uploading the same theme). 4\. Go to WP-Admin > Appearance > Themes > Add New and Upload the theme .ZIP file you've just downloaded from Account. 5\. Activate your theme by clicking the "Activate button". 6\. Make sure to reactivate the plugins by going to WP-Admin > Plugins. 7\. When the theme update is done, please go to WP-Admin > Appearance > Install Plugin and click "update" for every plugin that requires an update. 8\. If for some reason you see some code on your front-end website after the theme update, make sure that all the required plugins are activated by going to WP-Admin > Plugins. 9\. If one of your plugins has not been updated (ex: WPBakery Page Builder), go to WP-Admin > Plugins and delete the plugin then go to WP-Admin > Appearance > Install Plugins and reinstall the plugins. Make sure to "activate" it again. **OPTION 3:** If deleting a theme makes you nervous, or you have an issue when uploading the theme via the WordPress dashboard, you can upload it manually by FTP. 1\. Redownload the theme files on Account (Account always have the latest version of the theme).then go to Downloads, and download the "Installable WordPress file Only" package. 2\. Unzip the zip file on your computer 3\. Rename the root folder to something like "theme-name-new". 4\. By using FTP software (such as FileZilla), connect to your FTP. 5\. Upload the folder to .../wp-content/themes/ (so you should have /wp-content/themes/theme-name-new/) 6\. Once everything has been uploaded, go to WP-Admin > Appearance > Themes and activate your new theme. 7\. Make sure to reactivate the plugins by going to WP-Admin > Plugins. If one of your plugins has not been updated (ex: Visual Composer), go to WP-Admin > Plugins and delete the old plugin. 8\. Go to WP-Admin > Appearance > Install Plugins and reinstall the plugins. Make sure to "activate" them again. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://ultimator-wp-doc.templatetrip.com/theme-installation/update-theme.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. 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